The son of late rock 'n' roll star The Big Bopper is selling his father's coffin on eBay.

The Big Bopper, real name JP Richardson, died with fellow musicians Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in a plane crash in February 1959.

Richardson was buried for 48 years, but his son exhumed the 16-gauge steel casket in 2007 to move him to a more visible location with a life-size statue and historic marker. He was reburied in a new coffin donated by the Batesville Casket Co.

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His son now hopes to sell the original casket to raise funds for a musical show about his father, reports The Beaumont Enterprise.

"I have no personal use for the casket," he said. "When you get down to it, it is just a metal box. More important is what this particular metal box represents.

"In another 200 years, will people care about rock 'n' roll? Who knows? But why would I want to destroy it?

"Even though it was dad's resting place for 48 years, it's also a unique opportunity to learn more about the early years of rock 'n' roll."

Texas Musicians Museum founder Tom Kreason commented: "Certainly there'll be some distaste, but I think this is a piece of history that is very special.

"Even if it doesn't sell, we've made a point about the historical value of JP Richardson. No matter what happens, he wins, historically."